Page 61 of Lady for Embers

She rested an elbow on the table, propping her chin in her hand, while her fingers on her other hand drummed along the wooden surface. After an extended silence, Sorin asked, “What did Alaric say to you?”

She waved a hand in dismissal of his question. “Before we even discuss that, I need Cassius to remove his shirt and pants. So when he feels recovered enough to do so...”

The entire room went still. Sorin glanced at Cyrus and Cassius before looking to Briar and Sawyer. All held the same confusion and concern he felt.

“Why?” Cassius was the one to ?nally voice the question.

She drummed her ?ngers on the table again. “Haven’t any of you wondered how they managed to ?nd our exact location in the Edria Sea?”

“And you think I told them?” Cassius asked, looking both hurt and furious at the accusation.

“Yes. Albeit unknowingly,” she answered.

Cyrus was rubbing his brow between his thumb and fore?nger. “Explain.”

“I think there is some kind of Mark on Cassius,” she said. “Like the draining Mark Alaric put on me, only this one is a locating Mark.”

“You think they are tracking us through a Mark on me?” Cassius asked, already reaching to pull his tunic off.

“I do,” Scarlett said, pushing back to her feet. Sorin could feel the effort that took her, and he gritted his teeth at her refusal to draw from him right now. He didn’t have much to give, but what he had, he would gladly give over to her to ease any bit of that strain.

Cassius stood as well, stepping over the bench. He tossed his tunic to Cyrus as Scarlett approached. She gently turned Cass, her eyes searching over every inch of his chest and back. Her hand came up, a ?nger tracing between his shoulder-blades. “How did it feel?”

“I honestly do not remember, Scarlett,” he replied, his voice raspy with the weariness they were all feeling.

“Are they under your skin?” she asked, her entire hand brushing along his spine now.

“I do not know how it works, Seastar,” Cassius ground out. “Ithink this tracking Mark is more pressing, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “But we do need to ?gure out your power.”

“We will,” he returned, unfastening the button on his pants. He shucked them off, tossing them to Cyrus as well.

“Here,” Scarlett said immediately, her ?nger tracing along the side of his upper thigh.

“I do not see anything,” Sorin said, stepping forward.

“Me either,” Cyrus chimed in. “I’ve never seen any Marks on him actually.”

“Have you seen him in such little clothing on more than this occasion?” Scarlett asked nonchalantly, crouching down to study the invisible Mark.

“No,” Cyrus barked. “I mean once. Back at the Black Halls. He had a compress on his leg when I was in his rooms.” He mumbled the last part of that sentence, his eyes darting to the sea outside the window.

A faint smile was pulling on Scarlett’s lips. “You wouldn’t be able to see it, Darling. Just as you cannot see his Guardian Mark.”

“But I cannot see it either,” Sorin argued.

“You are nothisSource,” she said, pushing back to her feet. She swayed again, and Cassius was steadying her before Sorin could reach out his arm to do the same. “Even if I were not his Ward though, I could likely see it. I am a full-blooded Avonleyan. This is an Avonleyan Mark, not a Fae one.”

“But you can get rid of it?” Cassius asked, looking down at her. “Like I did with that draining Mark?”

“I think so,” she said hesitantly. “But not right now. I keep that book in a pocket between realms, and I don’t have enough magic left to summon it right now.”

“So we are stuck with the Maraans knowing exactly where we are?” Sawyer asked.

“For now,” Scarlett answered. “We can let them think we don’t know about it. I have... some ideas forming.”

“We all need to rest,” Sorin said, reaching out a hand for her. “No one is of any use being too tired to function.”

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